The Creation Couple - Creation Magazine (Stephen and Dianne Grocott interview)

Don Batten and Jonathan Sarfati interview husband and wife Dr Stephen Grocott and Dr Dianne Grocott. Stephen is a leading international research scientist in industrial chemistry, currently with a major firm in Queensland, Australia. Dianne is a qualified medical practitioner and psychiatrist. They have spoken on several occasions for the Answers in Genesis ministry. Whether challenging secularists on creation or abortion, this dynamic duo packs a powerful punch.

This was first published in 2001, but it is interesting to read again. Evolution is NOT scientific. Psychiatry cannot deal correctly with guilt.

Love of Money VS Love

Love is not a one-way street. Therefore, a person cannot have love of money, because money cannot reciprocate. He can only have a lust for money. What is the difference, you ask? Ah, unfortunately, love can be satisfied, whereas lust is a never-ending, unfulfilling chase. — Rabbi Meir of Apt

A little insight into the Lord Jesus' saying "Luke 16:13 "No servant can be the slave of two masters; such a slave will hate one and love the other or will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Pakistan: Policeman Tortures, Paralyzes Christian - Worthy News

A Pakistani Christian boy\'s quarrel with a Muslim policeman\'s son has led to his father\'s imprisonment, torture, paralysis, and five-year prison sentence.

The hate that people have for Christians is appalling, but this is the life that many must endure. Some so-called Christians like to run from this; they want to appease everyone. The cross is offensive; the name, Jesus Christ, is offensive.

A Christian must be innocent and blameless. We must have the same attitudes and actions towards others as the Lord Jesus.

In this evil day that is our best testimony.

Pray for our fellow believers.

Merry Christmas

What is Christmas all about anyway? Is it Santa or the family? It is actually about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This song was written and sung by Brett McMullen. His website is here. You can buy his music on PayPlay or CDBaby

May this Christmas be a real Christmas for you in worshiping Jesus Christ.

One Wing, Is This a Fake?

Though this pilot really did...fly and land on one wing.

O, Well.

Last Post Turns Out To Be a Fake

My last post about the plane losing a wing and landing safely is a fake.

Would You Be Thankful?

I found this on the net.

This is a rather close call don't you think?

Think he was thankful?

I hope so.

There is a all-too-often response to this, "Boy, was he lucky!" Personally I feel he is an excellent pilot, but God had mercy on him, too.

Sorry for the cussing in the audio.

Thank You

Thanksgiving Day

Are we mindful and truly thankful for all that God has given us?

This song is done by The Gordons.

Here is what they say:

Thank You Lord
Gary Gordon
Roberta: "Gary wrote this because we are mindful each day to be thankful to the Lord. He made the whole thing possible, so we just thanked him as an ending."
Gary: "My prayer, our prayer of thanks for each day. We're grateful for our talents and thank God for the chance to share our music with others."

You need to stop by their site and buy an album or two.

Hard To Believe?

Men tell me sometimes they would find it very difficult to believe in a God who had prepared such a place as the lake of fire for His creatures. He never did it! He prepared that awful place for 'the devil and angels.' If you go there, you will go there against the pleadings of God. You will go past the cross to get there; you will go there over the dead body of God's Son...You do not have to do anything bad to go there; just keep neglecting to be saved; that is all

C. I. Scofield in Addresses on Prophecy pages 131, 132

Shame

Faithful And True

Unchanging God in our Changing Times

An unchanging God in our changing times

A letter from Mike Gendron


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

For the past several months we have been praying that God would have mercy on our country and give us what we need and not what we deserve. We now know that we have been given what we deserve. But let us not lose hope, "for our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20).

"Let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained…For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things" (Phil. 3:16-19).

Remember that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change (Psalm 46:1-2).

As a shadow of spiritual darkness continues to creep across our country, we must recognize the great opportunity we have as Christians to reflect the glorious light of our Savior. He is still our King and He has declared victory over the devil and his schemes. So let us be encouraged:

"The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked goes out" (Prov. 13:17).

Remember Paul’s exhortation,

"Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm" (Eph. 6:10-13).

Let us remember what children of the King are called to be! "You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mat. 5:13-16).

"In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?" (Psalm 56:4)

A Fellow Servant of the King,
Mike Gendron

Used with permission

His Web Site is Proclaiming the Gospel

Hard Times Ahead?

This is a drawing of George Washington praying.

If you are a Bible believing Christian living in the United States and have not been praying yet, you better start. Times may get very rough for us.

Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death? (Romans 8:35)

"Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! "Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted. (Matthew 5:10-12)

They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time. Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:5-7)

Considering whether or not you want to be a missionary? Language and culture are two tremendous challenges.

Learning linquistics is imperative. The best Christian school for this is BBTI--Baptist Bible Translators Institute in Bowie, TX.

BBTI prepares missionaries to go anywhere in the world, learn a language, translate the Bible, and plant Baptist churches. BBTI classes cover the following:

Linguistics (language learning skills)
Culture Learning and Adaptation
Bible Translation Principles
Literacy Training
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Language learning and culture adaptation can mean the difference between success and failure on the mission field.

Here is a linguistics quiz. How well will you do?

Where Have You Been?

Look at the first picture of feet. You can tell some things about these feet. They have not been in the mud, nor bare feet working outside. They are clean.



Now look at these feet. Even though they are still in the mud, if you just saw them on the grass or on a sidewalk, you would know they have been in the mud.



Lastly, look at these feet. They are working feet. The person is barefoot and working in a shop.



You can tell a lot about people by their feet.

God can tell a lot about your heart, your soul, your mind in the same way. Has it been honoring to Him or dishonoring? Doing what He wants or what is displeasing to Him, as lying, cheating, or hating? God knows these things just like we know something about where a person has been by their feet.

I like the Lord's Messengers; maybe you will too.

A Prayer of Moses the man of God
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God.
You turn man to destruction, And say, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.
You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep.
In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.
For we have been consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath we are terrified.
You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.
The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off,
and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You,
so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice
and be glad all our days!
Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
(Psalms 90:1-17)

Things may be difficult for us today, tomorrow, or next year, but we can trust God completely.

Being Thankful

I can't find too many studies about the use of "Thank you" for something someone has done.

The "Thank You Study" done in 2002 showed 15.9 % of people returned a thank you to librarians for helping out e-mail inquiries.

That is not very much.

What is the worth of a thank you?

Sure makes me feel good. It makes me feel that the effort I put into helping someone was appreciated.

I don't know all the feelings someone feels, but I imagine most people appreciate people saying, "Thank you".

I wonder how God feels when He does so much.

The Lord Jesus was thankful: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. [66] And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. (John 11:41)

The holy, elect angels are thankful: And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, [67] Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. (Revelation 11:16-17)

Some of the good things God does:

1. Sends rain and sunshine: For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.
(Matthew 5:45)

2. Food (I do realize people go hungry, but it is rarely necessary. Someone might be hoarding food or selfishly not sharing it, etc): But he has always given evidence of his existence by the good things he does: he gives you rain from heaven and crops at the right times; he gives you food and fills your hearts with happiness." (Acts 14:17)

3. Forgiveness of sins: Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.
(Psalms 32:1)

Things that get in the way

1. Pride: But Hezekiah was too proud to show gratitude for what the LORD had done for him, and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it. (2 Chronicles 32:25)
2. Being evil: They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. (Romans 1:21)

Fighting like cats and dogs? Not always.

A little old perhaps, but it is new to me. Cats and dogs don't always fight.

Scientists Who Doubt Darwin

Often you read that there are NO scientists who believe anything except evolution--that every scientist in the world believes in evolution.

But is it true. Look at this site Dissent from Darwin and look at some of the scientists who question Darwin.

How about this quote:

"Darwinian evolutionary theory was my field of specialization in biology. Among other things, I wrote a textbook on the subject thirty years ago. Meanwhile, however I have become an apostate from Darwinian theory and have described it as part of modernism’s origination myth. Consequently, I certainly agree that biology students at least should have the opportunity to learn about the flaws and limits of Darwin’s theory while they are learning about the theory’s strongest claims."
Dr. Stanley Salthe, Professor Emeritus, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.

While not believing in creation per se, it shows that there are scientists who see problems in evolution. They are somewhat related to the Discovery Institute.

Christian Divorce?

All too many Christian (?) marriages are unhealthy and are headed to or have already divorced. This ia horrible situation. I get tired of the cheap excuse, "It's best for the children." No, it isn't. You need help.

An article from the Christian Post has this to say: The Barna Group found in its latest study that born again Christians who are not evangelical were indistinguishable from the national average on the matter of divorce with 33 percent having married and divorced at least once. Among all born again Christians, which includes evangelicals, the divorce figure is 32 percent, which is statistically identical to the 33 percent figure among non-born again adults, the research group noted.

This is the pits; it is evil. What is wrong? Selfishness, unforgiveness, an attitude of "I have my rights", etc?

Even though it is not Christian, you can find a postive attitude that you can stay married, happily from Divorce Busting, a web site by Michele Weiner-Davis. Her header reads: "It's never too late to save your marriage!"

Don't fall for the Christian counselor who steers you into divorce. Check out her site.

It does hurt the children. Read this poem.

LORD, TEACH MY PARENTS (Category: Forgiveness)

Dear Lord, the parents that gave me life
Now hate each other and live in strife.
They act as if I were not there;
They scream and yell and do not care
That by them breaking our family apart,
It makes me cry and breaks my heart.

Lord, tell them not to make me choose,
Who to love and who to lose.
I pray that You will make them see,
That parents are supposed to be
Teachers of how we are to act …
Not showing anger, violence, or getting others back.

Remind them that seeds of kindness and love
Grow children with strong roots, blessed from above.
Jesus, I ask You on bended knee,
Teach them love and forgiveness, like You have taught me.



“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father
who is in heaven.” Matt. 5:44-45 KJV

Valerie Bauer Rousseau
USA

Let us Pray for Orissa

Christians are still dying in Orissa, India.

They have done nothing evil; they have not hurt their neighbors. What they have done is become Christians, so the Hindu extremists burn and kill the innocent.

Let's remember to pray for them.

Go to Gospel for Asia for an update.

Ex-faith healer explains

An Ex-faith healer explains some of his "tricks" of the trade. Personally, I believe in SOME cases, the demonic is involved.

Note how why he stopped doing this: he started reading and studying the Scriptures, and so should we.

Evolution is a hypothesis. It is believed by most to be a theory (using that word in its scientific sense). It is taught as fact most places.

It is not provable.

Here is a song sample from Brett McMullen. If you want the whole song, go to CD Baby or PayPlay and buy it. From PayPlay it is 88 cents.

Jesus' Resurrection--Truth or Fiction

A common statement by skeptics is there is no proof of Jesus' resurrection. Most will not accept any proof unless "science" says so, but nevertheless Lee Strobel makes a compelling presentation for Jesus' resurrection.

How Many People Saw Jesus Alive?

False Prophets

This is the ad found on prophetic.tv, the heretic site:

Transported by the Lion of Judah by Anne Elmer. Join Anne as she is transported by Jesus, the "Lion of Judah" all over the earth, in multiple experiences, to see God's people from many different groups, and in many countries - but no longer from her perspective. This book will help you to understand God's heart for His Church from His personal perspective.

An interview with her is here.

Seems more and more people want experience instead of truth. Bible study is sooo boring isn't it when you can have experiences like this. But is it true? The so called prophets on Elijah List and elsewhere have failed over and over again. A good article demonstrating this is found on Deception In The Church.

The Lord Jesus warned us about false prophets:
And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
(Matthew 24:4)
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
(Matthew 24:11)
See, I have told you beforehand.
(Matthew 24:25)

False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth. In their greed these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake! (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Here is a good sermon. The false prophets on Elijah List should here this and submit to the Lord Jesus.

The Amazing Skidboot

Skidboot is one amazing dog. Here is a video on GodTube about him.

What An Uproar Over Creationism

What an uproar over creationism. As far as I can tell Professor Michael Reiss doesn't even believe in creation. He only makes this comment, "They should take the time to explain how science works and why creationism has no scientific basis."

He is not advocating teaching of creationism, just what to do if a pupil brings it up.

Talk about paranoid fear from The Royal Society.

News Report from Times Online and Guardian.

You can hear a little of his speech here. It seems to me that he is stating what the teacher should do to have a creationist student come to believe in evolution.

I am a creationist. If you want more info on creation you will find that info at Creation Ministries International.

I love this quote:

Subordination is a totally different concept from inferiority … the best refutation against the fallacy of confusing inferiority and subordination is Luke 2:51. Here, Jesus “continued in subjection” to His mother and foster father—a clear case of a superior submitting to those infinitely inferior to Him by nature.

The god haters, by what ever name they go by, love to claim the "slavery" of women. As usual they are not honest in their understanding or research of the term.

The title of the article is Female inferiority’ raises questions

What Christians Have to Live Through

Sanjeev Mehta arrived at the home of a believer in Mumbai, India, to conduct prayer meeting as usual. The Christians who had gathered for the meeting warned him that there was danger in the air: a mob of anti-Christian extremists was headed his way to beat him!

Some of the latest news from Gospel For Asia. Pray for our brothers and sisters.

Atheist Church and Doctrines

A typical atheist with tell you that they are NOT a religion and thus have NO doctrine. Well, consider these:

Here is a partial list of some atheist, agnostic, and pantheist religions.

1.Virus

They have a list of atheist "saints"; Charles Darwin is one.

2. Scientific Pantheism

The one by Paul Harrison

3. The Swedish Pantheist Society

4. The Agnostic Church

5. The Society for Humanistic Judaism

6. The Positivist Church of Brazil

7. The Universal Church Triumphant of the Apatheitic Agnostic

Their motto is, "We don't know and we don't care."

8. The North Texas Church of Freethought

9. The First Church of Atheism

This exists to ordain men to perform secular weddings, funerals, etc.

I realize these aren't all atheist, but they got religion.

They say they are wise, but they are fools; (Romans 1:22)

Some of the doctrines (values) of The North Texas Church of Freethought:

We advance evidence and reason over tradition and superstition as the best tools we have available to come to know, understand, and appreciate ourselves and the beautiful and amazing Universe in which we live.

And their mission statement:

"To promote and advance, as a moral imperative, the unfettered power of thought over belief, of reason over faith, of facts over revelation and superstition, and of knowledge over dogmas and doctrines, especially in matters of religion and religious opinion. In so doing, the NTCOF intends to safeguard these important elements of human interest and experience from the stranglehold of tradition, the dangers of authority, and the unthinking grasp of established belief, as well as from the prejudices and intolerances engendered by them, in order to address the human need for understanding within both the categories of public, social, and objective truth, and of personal, individual, and subjective insight and self discovery."

Their pastor(?) is Tim Gorski

Some of their "saints" include:

1. Richard Dawkins
2. Penn Jillette
3. Sam Harris
4. Ibn Warraq
5. Dan Barker
6. Christopher Hitchens
7. Robert Ingersoll
8. Carl Sagan
9. Ann Druyan

Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. (Romans 1:28)

All this sounds pretty religious to me. I'll follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another false prophet

Local Pastor on YouTube has this video about Dr Faith. Dr Faith is one of the staff of River IHOP (International House of Prayer, web site: riverihop.com or drfaith.org). She has on her site "An anointed speaker and author, Faith walks in complete humility in her gifts of faith, healing and the prophetic." Too bad. First she supports Todd Bentley then disowns him. Real prophetic gift, huh?

Images, belief, and faith

Images, belief, and faith



People believe what they want to believe. Some make their own "reality". Some have delusions, hallucinations, and weird dreams.

Some believe in atheism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. Some believe anything they read or see in the media. It may be a lie (anything from a full-blown lie to a little-twisting-of-the-truth). It may be real.

Is seeing believing? Most, if not all, atheists are empiricists and/or philosophic naturalists. The only reality is what our senses sense. Sense may be extended with instruments as a microscope, telescope, or computer.

Is the person in the video real or imaginary? You probably know it IS imaginary, but it is close to the real thing isn't it? I'm sure improvements will happen in the future.

What is truth? It has to be measured not by what works, what our senses sense, or what somebody tells us is truth. It has to be measured by a standard. That standard can be identified by a person. An objective look at the Lord Jesus Christ will tell you that He is that person. You can read the evidence here.

Holy Is The Lamb

Do you like Coffey? Here he sings a song he wrote Holy is the Lamb. God is truly holy, that is, without fault.

Praying With Your Family

Do you pray for your family? How important is your family? Can you really do it all yourself? Will the government be the one who helps and cares about your family? Who really loves your family? Who is willing to sacrifice time for your family--the government, friends, school officials, society?

Take time to pray together. Take time to pray for your family. Pray for each child. Pray for your spouse.

He was a religious man; he and his whole family worshiped God. He also did much to help the Jewish poor people and was constantly praying to God. (Acts 10:2)

Prayer At The Family Table @ Yahoo! Video

Is God Evil?

From A.S.A. Jones

I'm always surprised, therefore, when atheists attack Christianity using moral indignation over the slaughter that took place in Numbers 31. Let's examine the issue from a strictly logical, non-emotional perspective.

She has a good answer. We need to be ready to give a reason why we believe. Has anyone ever challenged your faith this way? You can read the rest here.

Atheism

James Orr in his book Christian View of God and the World on lecture note II. Note J. on page 57--found on ccel. org--has an interesting comment on atheism. Seems things haven't changed much.

Note J.—P. 57.
MATERIALISM IN GERMANY.
The descent from an overstrained idealistic Pantheism to materialistic Atheism in Germany—through Feuerbach, Stirner, lingo, etc.—is matter of notoriety. The following extract from an able article on “Lotze’s Theistic Philosophy,” in the Presbyterian Review, vol. vi. (1885), will illustrate the length to which things went in that direction:—“The one-sided opposition of Empiricism to Idealism developed into dogmatic Materialism. From the 18th September 1854, when Rudolf Wagner delivered at Göttingen his famous address on ‘The Creation of Man and the Substance of the Soul,’ the Materialistic conflict raged in Germany for a couple of decades with unabated vigour. Taking up the gauntlet which Wagner had thrown down Karl Vogt entered the lists with ‘Kohlerglaube und Wissenschaft,’ flaunting, amidst satire and ridicule, in the face of his opponent, who had declared himself content with the simple religious faith of the collier, the new famous sentence that ‘thought stands in about the same relation to the brain, as gall to the liver or urine to the kidneys.’ A flood of writings, more or less popular in style, followed, and a sort of religious propaganda was made of the gospel of Materialism, while a fierce crusade was waged against everything claiming to be superior to matter, or a ‘function ‘ of matter. The hostility against religion was pronounced and bitter. The creed preached was Atheism, naked and unashamed. Matter is held to be eternal; physical and chemical forces are the only ultimate agents; the world exists, Vogt tells us, ‘ without organic substance, without a known Creator, nay, without a leading idea.’ Hellwald expressly announces that the task of science is ‘to destroy all ideals, to manifest their hollowness and nothingness, to show that belief in God and religion is deception’; while Buchner, who is ever, if possible, a little more audacious than the rest, sums up the matter as follows: ‘Theism, or belief in a personal God, leads, as all history shows, to monachism, and the rule of priests; Pantheism, or belief in an all-pervading God, leads, where it is in the ascendancy, to contempt of the senses, denial of the Ego , to absorption in God, and to a state of stagnation. Atheism, or philosophical Monism, alone leads to freedom, to intelligence, to progress, to due recognition of man—in a word, to Humanism.’ . . . The progress of Materialism was rapid. Buchner’s Force and Matter, the ‘Bible of German Materialism,’ passed, within twenty years from its first appearance (1858), through no less than fourteen editions, and was translated into almost every language in Europe. The scientific camp was said to be materialistic almost to a man. The common people, among whom this way of thinking was frequently allied with the political tenets of social democracy, were, and are still to-day largely leavened by the infection. The philosophical chairs in the Universities were feeble to resist it. . . . Materialism in Germany is no longer as strong as it was; good authorities express it as their opinion that, as it grew, so also is it waning ‘rapidly ‘” (pp. 652–655).

.

There's just something about atheism. It is always at the front to do away with God and any thoughts about Him. Why do they work so hard against Christians? Many have said "because I'm sick and tired of Christians forcing God down my throat." But it seems to me they just want God out of the picture, so their worldview, morality, and life can be without conscience, without guilt, without judgment. I also read something to the effect that humanity needs to get together, and with our minds we can solve its problems. lol

Will be YOU be changed?

If you're not challenged, changed, moved, motivated by this message, something is wrong with your hard, cold heart. O, God have mercy on me; I don't want to be anything but what you want for me.

D'Souza, Hitchens, and Prager Debate

Dinesh D'Souza writes in his article "Christian God? Jewish God? Or No God?"I suspect heaven is full of people who chose God and prayed to Him, "Thy will be done." Hell is reserved for those who by their own free choice refused God and to whom God eventually said, "Thy will be done."

Couldn't be said any better. It truely is "God's will be done" or "our will be done".

I truely say to God, "Your will be done." What about you?

You can find a link to the debates in that article.

God, a hypocrite?

Often a skeptic or atheist will mock the Christian by saying something like this:

It says in your holy book, "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth." (Colossians 3:6-8). So, it is a sin to be angry, and look your god does it himself. What a hypocrite! He's nothing but a being that hates and kills..."

Well now, is it so?

Some thoughts:

1. God is the Judge.

"Let them worship the LORD! He is coming to judge everyone on the earth, and he will be honest and fair," (Psalms 98:9).

2. God wrote the rules.

"When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two flat stones on which he had written all of his laws with his own hand," (Exodus 31:18).

3. Breaking law

"If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all," (James 2:10).

4. Anger for a reason

"But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother 'Raka!' will be subject to the Council. And whoever says 'You fool!' will be subject to hell fire," (Matthew 5:22).

The thought being this: God is the lawgiver and judge. When His law is broken, it is OK for Him to be angry. When I am angry, then I am setting myself up as God. My laws, standards, personal space, whatever has been violated, but I am not God and have no right to be angry.

There is the thought that we can be angry at the things that angers God, but we cannot sin. "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger," (Ephesians 4:26).

An example would be abortion. God hates the killing of the innocent. "There are seven things that the LORD hates and cannot tolerate: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that kill innocent people, a mind that thinks up wicked plans, feet that hurry off to do evil, a witness who tells one lie after another, and someone who stirs up trouble among friends," (Proverbs 6:16). So to become angry at abortion would be OK, but to bomb an abortion clinic or kill an abortionist is sin; it IS absolutely wrong, evil.

A false prophet continues to prove it.

Todd Bentley, one of the world's premier false prophets, proves it again by filing for separation from his wife. My prayer, and yours should be, too, is for the Bentleys to start believing the Bible and living it.

Bentley's web site, Fresh Fire Ministries, on 13 August, states "...that Todd and Shonnah Bentley are presently experiencing significant friction in their relationship and are currently separated."

Are you a young-earth creationist?

‘Are you a young-earth creationist?’
Here are nine questions to ask yourself and others if you are a young-earth creationist.

Guilty, but forgiven

Guilt is a heavy burden.

Guilt is defined as "Remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense" and "The state of having committed an offense" (WordWeb).

Offense against what? Is is offense against the constitution, our own (changeable) standard, or some other authority? It is the offenses against a Holy God--the Christian God, as taught in the Bible.

"Respect your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you. "Do not commit murder. "Do not commit adultery. "Do not steal. "Do not accuse anyone falsely. "Do not desire another man's house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns." (Exodus 20:12-17)

We have done these things. We have disrespected our parents, hated (thus murder in our heart), adultery (lusted in our hearts), stolen, lied, and wanted what someone else had.

What is the punishment for these things? Is we do break a nation's laws, we will be punished. Someone has to pay. If I break my neighbor's window, someone has to pay, and you know it will be ME.

Who pays for these other offenses? It is ME. What hope is there? Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. (Romans 5:6). God awaits for our cry, "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' "(Luke 18:13).

Some Good Poetry

A friend of mine passed this on to me, so I pass it to you. I take it that it was done in 2007 sometime.

"Allow me to reintroduce the Christ"

Four Days Late

So things are goin' too slow for ya? Been prayin' for a long time and wonder where the answer is?
Well, consider Mary and Martha ... and Lazarus. Four days late and still on time. Here's a song that will bless you.

The False Teachers

I found this comment on a One News Now report. Somebody might wonder where the proof that what this commenter says is true but from the many teachings on-line and in print, I believe it is true. If you want to know more about the Emergent Church read here.

I was a member of Brian McLaren's church for 10 years before he was famous. The only folks he ever criticized were what he called Fundamentalists. Most of the rest of us would probably call them committed Christians. I left after 10 years when I found my faith in Christ was destroyed. There was a big controversy at the church a while back when some of my friends insisted they put the name "Jesus" in the church's mission statement, but McLaren wouldn't allow it; said it would offend people. McClaren once told me he wished James Dobson weren't so political; an objection that apparently doesn't apply to himself. I wouldn't compare McLaren and Rick Warren. It's not fair to Warren. But please don't waste any thought on McLaren or the Emergent Church fad. No lasting movement ever came from a man telling people what he DOESN'T believe.

MacDonald Family Singers

The MacDonald Family Singers are great. Here is a sample of their music. What is the cross of Jesus Christ to you? If you're not sure click here.

Forgiveness

But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. (1 John 1:9)

Likewise, David also speaks of the blessedness of the person whom God regards as righteous apart from works: "How blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered! How blessed is the person whose sins the Lord will never charge against him!" (Romans 4:6-8)

Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, "Cheer up, friend! Your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9:2)

Sounds of Glory Amazing Grace

The Sounds of Glory have a new album, Signature Sounds. If you like traditional a capella, you'll like this. Rodney Britt is the bass. Their website is Sounds of Glory

The lion's friends

At one time the animals didn't fear humans. Even a lion you ask? Yes, even lions. Consider this video.

I was coming home the other night. I had the window down; it was about 85 F outside (my air conditioning is gone). The speed limit is 65 mph. I'm cruising at that and come up on some traffic--two cars and a motorcycle; they were going 60. I didn't want to pass, so I just enjoyed the time before I would be happily at home with my family (it takes about 26 minutes to get home).

I glance into the rear view mirror and see a car coming at me--fast. He has to slow down because of the traffic. Finally it is clear, and he takes off wanting to pass all of us. Only one problem, though, a hill was coming up and the double yellow lines were almost present. It didn't stop him; he did it anyway. Just before the top...he pulls back in, no one was coming the other direction.

What if there had been someone coming the other direction? Would there have been a head-on, a side swipe, maybe forcing the motorcycle into the ditch. I don't know.

What he did was assume. He assumed he could make it safely. He assumed there was no one coming the other direction. He had no evidence, no proof, no facts, no science; he just assumed.

I thought about myself and others; how often do we assume something. An atheist assumes there is no after life, so eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. They claim science, but what does science know what happens after death? Maybe there is nothing; maybe there is.

What about other things in people's lives. Some smoke and assume what happens to others will not happen to them. So with alcohol, drugs, free sex--people just assume and don't care.

But...

What if they're wrong--then what?

Why Me Lord?

Messed up? Made mistakes? Turned from God? Sinned?

Now that you've repented; you can rejoice and be thankful.

The Lord Jesus Is Worthy

Today Paul (one of the men in our fellowship) spoke on worship. He read Revelation 5 and 6. One thing that struck me was the question of whom was worthy to open the seals to the book?

Certainly if I was there, I could never be considered worthy. What about the 24 elders? Certainly they would be worthy, but not one stepped forward or raised their hand. What about the 4 living creatures? If any would be worthy, they would. Since the day of their creation, they have not ceased to be there near God and praise Him, but not one stepped forward or spoke out--not one!

No one is worthy.

But the scene turns to the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God. He has been found worthy.

They sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to break open its seals. For you were killed, and by your sacrificial death you bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation, and race. (Revelation 5:9)

Power

It seems as if people like power, authority, the ability to influence situations and people. The concept of power over oneself to lose weight, gain knowledge, and reach goals. The concept of power over things outside oneself would include influencing others and situations for one's own satisfaction and pleasure. It could be power over a problem (say a test in school), over people (to get them to do what YOU want them to), over business associates to get to the top, political power, power over others.

This can be seen in many instances. A pastor may brag that he has 10,000 members while another only has 5,000. It gives a sense of superiority, a view that others are looking up to YOU, and so being better than others. A business man may brag that he sold 50 contracts each worth over 1 million dollars, so he/she feels they are better than another who sold 10 contracts. A musician looks to the number of albums sold. An actor/actress looks at the dollars made and awards received.

This lust for power seems to be inherent. People want to be the top dog in something. For some it is passive. This is seen when people manipulate others. They may manipulate by appearing to be helpless or rejected. For others it is active. This is seen when people threaten others. They do this verbally or physically.

The Bible labels this as sin. It is the sin of Lucifer (Satan, Devil): "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' (Isaiah 14:12-14).

It is the sin of kings: About twelve months later, I was walking on the flat roof of my royal palace and admiring the beautiful city of Babylon, when these things started happening to me. I was saying to myself, "Just look at this wonderful capital city that I have built by my own power and for my own glory!" (Daniel 4:28).

It is the sin of humans: The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. I go without eating for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn." The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner." Then Jesus said, "When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored." (Luke 18:11-14)

Please note who it was that God was pleased with. God is against pride.
"I, the LORD, refuse to accept anyone who is proud. Only those who live by faith are acceptable to me." (Habakkuk 2:4).

In truth only God can have that power, that authority. "Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. You created all things, and by your decision they are and were created." (Revelation 4:11).

We need to be humble and give ALL the glory to God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Comfort

What would happen if all your children died? How would you handle it? What comfort will science offer the atheist? They have no hope of EVER seeing their children again (so they think). A Christian has hope. A person may be a Christian and go to church and do all sorts of religious stuff, but when tragedy happens, the true Christian is separated from the false.

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed [himself], and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshiped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing [is] this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, [while it was] alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell [whether] GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. (2 Samuel 12:18-23)

The Altar

The Altar

An altar is a place to sacrifice. Many religions have altars. The only altar that is the right, necessary one, is the altar where the Lord Jesus shed His blood for our sins.

Are you a good person? Take the Good Person Test.

Do you realize that you have lied, committed adultery and murder in your heart? There needs to be punishment.

Yet, God in His mercy has provided a way. The penalty was paid by the Lord Jesus. He died, He rose from the dead, and He lives at the right hand of God the Father.

Come to Him, confess your sins, repent (change your mind, attitude, and life), ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you and be your savior.

Word Twisting (Wresting

Word Twisting

Ray Comfort writes:

I am continually being called a liar and a deceiver by atheists because I quoted Stephen Hawking "out of context" (in the blog-header). So here is the entire quote in context:

"In the hot big bang model described above, there was not enough time in the early universe for heat to have flowed from one region to another. This means that the initial state of the universe would have to have had exactly the same temperature everywhere in order to account for the fact that the microwave back-ground has the same temperature in every direction we look. The initial rate of expansion also would have had to be chosen very precisely for the rate of expansion still to be so close to the critical rate needed to avoid recollapse. This means that the initial state of the universe must have been very carefully chosen indeed if the hot big bang model was correct right back to the beginning of time. It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us." Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, p. 127.

So, in context, Stephen Hawking is saying that it would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us. That makes sense.

Some one with the persona of Remy-Grace writes a response:

So let me see if I have this right: Stephen Hawking is a creationist and Einstein was a Christian. Wow. The lengths of dishonesty you people will go to just to make your crazy worldviews sound intelligent will never cease to amaze me.

The term "word twisting" means wrest. Wrest has the meaning of

" 1. To distort or twist the nature or meaning of: wrested the words out of context.
2. To divert to an improper use; misapply.

"wrest." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 28 Jun. 2008. .

Ray did NOT write that Stephen Hawking is a creationist nor the Einstein was a Christian, but the writer, remy grace, wrested the meaning of the Ray's post to say something he never said and after doing this states, "Wow. The lengths of dishonesty you people will go to just to make your crazy worldviews sound intelligent will never cease to amaze me."

This is dishonest of course and is one of the many ways one can tell a lie. The Bible says, "Do not tell lies about others." (Exodus 20:16). But as it is the truth: Troublemakers listen to troublemakers, and liars listen to liars. (Proverbs 17:4)

There is an example in the Bible. Some of Israel had asked Jeremiah, the prophet, to ask the Lord God what He wanted them to do--to stay in Israel or go to Egypt. Jeremiah prayed and God replied this: "I said to them, "The LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me with your request has said, 'If you are willing to go on living in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pull you up. The destruction I brought on you has caused me great sorrow. Stop being afraid of the king of Babylonia. I am with you, and I will rescue you from his power." (Jeremiah 42:9-11). This then is what Jeremiah told the Israelites.

But the response of the Israelites? Listen. "I finished telling the people everything that the LORD their God had sent me to tell them. Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other arrogant men said to me, "You are lying. The LORD our God did not send you to tell us not to go and live in Egypt. Baruch son of Neriah has stirred you up against us, so that the Babylonians will gain power over us and can either kill us or take us away to Babylonia." (Jeremiah 43:1-3). This was a deliberate twisting, wresting, of the words of God.

Let us be honest with what the Bible says, what we say, and what we do. We do not want to be a liar like remy grace or those who sought Jeremiah's counsel.

The Anchor

The anchor

The anchor is a pretty simple device, so you might think. There are many different designs, and the plan for setting an anchor is a little more complicated than just throwing it overboard.

Designs

The temporary anchors

Basic design consists of a central bar (the shank), a bottom piece (fluke or palm), and a point to penetrate the bottom. Where the shank and fluke (or palm) meet is called the crown. The shank usually has a ring or shackle to attach it to a cable.

Hook design: small fluke with heavy, narrow shank to penetrate rocky, seaweed, coral, or hard sand.

Plough: kind of like the old farm plough. It is a good, general anchor for most bottoms.

Fluke: have a large bottom piece. This is to dig it the bottom and have a lots of resistance to moving.

Sea: these use the water itself to hold a vessel; it is not much more than canvas and a rope.

There are other designs for temporary and permanent anchors.

Placing an anchor

It not just throwing it overboard. You need to know 4 things: 1, is the area for the vessel offer protection from the current and expected weather; 2, is the seabed good for holding the anchor; 3, how will the tide affect the anchorage; 4, is there enough room for the vessel to swing.

If all 4 points are agreeable, you need to drop the anchor. It should be down wind or down current; choose whatever is stronger. The vessel needs then to stop, the anchor dropped until it touches down, and the cable let out under control to keep it straight. Sometimes in a storm a weight needs to be placed on the cable/chain to lower the angle and act a shock absorber in difficult weather conditions. Some other methods in heavy weather include two anchors set at 45 degrees or even 90 degrees so the vessel will face the strong winds. There are other method also.

All this is interesting. The anchor is necessary equipment. But what about people and storms of life that we face. Some face tremendous difficulties. What anchor is there for them? Our hope in the Lord Jesus is our anchor. He said, "I will NEVER leave or forsake you." And in Hebrews it is written, "God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:18-20)

Answer to Capt Howdy

Sassy chic writes this to answer a writer named "Shunted" on Ray Comfort's blog "The Soapbox":

Shunted said: Why is it just to punish an innocent man on my account but it isn't OK to just forgive everyone without a sacrifice being made? Since God is omnipotent then it isn't correct to answer this question by saying, "A sacrifice must occur to atone for sin." It doesn't have to be that way because God is omnipotent. Because we serve a God of justice and order. He created us with a will of our own. When Adam chose to disobey God in the garden we were placed under a curse, in order for that curse to be broken and us to have eternal life with God we have to pay the price. The sad thing is that we are not capable of paying that price so Jesus chose (mercy in steps ) to become the sacrifice, God didn't require that of Him. Yes God is omnipotent but He operates within the laws and principles He set forth. I don't really think that you have thought this through either because to override everything would also mean to override your free will and you probably get upset when someone cuts you off in traffic. It would really tick you off to lose your free will. We are talking about mercy when we talk about salvation. Justice is what you will get if you refuse God's mercy, given to you through Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross.

I replied:

To capt howdy

You said, "First you say you serve a God of "justice and order." In the very next breath you describe how God punished the entire human race for the actions of two people. So, my question to you is: How do you figure that collective punishment is "justice"? When one of your kids steals a cookie, do you punish them all? Do you believe Andrea Yates should have been punished for drowning her kids? I mean, she just did on a small scale what God did on a global scale, true? Maybe she was just trying to be more Godlike. Man, I'd hate to be one of your kids!"

Sassy chic gave a pretty good answer.

If someone breaks a law, they must be punished for it. This is called justice.

God is orderly. The universe is orderly. If though you're an old God-that-you-don't-believe-in-hater, you got to admit this universe we live in is orderly. This is called order.

If you are the lawgiver, we go by your laws. If we break them, we get punished. If congress passes a law, the president signs it, it goes through the courts for years and passes muster, it is law. If that law is broken, the lawbreaker must be punished.

You have trouble understanding this?

If my child steals a cookie, they will be punished. How? Probably won't get desert tonight.

God told Adam, "If you eat from this tree, you will die." Pretty simple isn't it? Adam knew if he ate it, he would die.

What about the "Noah's" flood (I guess you're referring to this)? They knew what was coming. All they had to do is enter the ark. So it's their own foolish fault for not doing so. Noah told them about it for 120 years. If they're so foolish not to enter the ark, what's the problem with you?

You will be praised if you are wise, but you will be disgraced if you are a stubborn fool.
(Proverbs 3:35)

I'd say Capt Howdy is the stubborn fool. He has been told how to avoid God's wrath yet refuses.

I'm still prayin' for ya Cap't.

Scientists who believe in creation

The movie "Expelled" was very unpopular with evolutionists. Evolutionist/atheists very often make the charge that there are no "real" scientists who believe in creation. Let me introduce you to Dr. Jerry Bergman. He was also expelled. You'll have to read the whole article. Here's an introduction.

"Dr. Gerald R. "Jerry" Bergman is an adjunct associate professor at Medical University of Ohio and an instructor in the Division of Arts & Sciences at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio. He teaches biochemistry, biology, chemistry and physics. He has taught at the college level for 35 years including 7 years at Bowing Green State University, 6 years at the university of Toledo, and 20 years at Northwest State. He started as a graduate student in biochemistry at Medical College of Ohio in 1985, and was later hired as an adjunct instructor and research associate in the experimental pathology department and he still is still on the faculty at MCO (now named Medical University of Ohio). He has also worked for several years as a therapist at various psychological clinics including Arlington Psychological Associates in Toledo, Ohio.

Bergman now has nine academic degrees."

Here you can read the whole article.

Open-minded?

Evolutionist claim they are soooo open-minded. Are they? In this opinion piece Kyle Butt shows the evolutionist's true belief.

"The evolutionary community wants people to think that it is objective. Evolutionists consistently paint the picture that they are the ones who are open-minded and honestly seeking the truth. At the same time, they suggest that religious “fundamentalists” (their word) who believe the Bible, are narrow-minded and impervious to rational criticism. Atheist David Mills, in Atheist Universe, stated: “The religious individual tends to hold his beliefs rigidly, fanatically and with a closed mind—never seriously questioning the accuracy of his Church’s teachings. The scientist (read that, atheistic, evolutionary scientist—KB), however, is eagerly and open-mindedly searching for new theories and for evidence to topple old theories” (Mills, 2006, p. 155)."

Read it all here.

Think you have it rough? Consider this guy.

This is new to me even though it has been around awhile. God can take care of us. Some might ask, "Why this suffering?" Hear this man's answer.

The Psychology of Hypocrisy

Are You A Hypocrite?

Here is an interesting article. I like his thoughts "Lonnie Lee Best's Hypocrisy Formula is Hypocrisy = Beliefs - Actions."

I don't agree with everything obviously, but there are some things to think about.

The Bible is the best source of truth and false.

A hypocrite is a liar.

No liar will live in my palace; no hypocrite will remain in my presence. (Psalms 101:7)

Beware of flatters

A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words. (Proverbs 26:24)

Outward show of religion

"So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. (Matthew 6:2)

Man made rules and words but no heart towards God

You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! 'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!' " (Matthew 15:7-9)

Seemingly innocent questions

The Pharisees went off and made a plan to trap Jesus with questions. Then they sent to him some of their disciples and some members of Herod's party. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you tell the truth. You teach the truth about God's will for people, without worrying about what others think, because you pay no attention to anyone's status. Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it against our Law to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?" Jesus, however, was aware of their evil plan, and so he said, "You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin for paying the tax!" They brought him the coin, and he asked them, "Whose face and name are these?" "The Emperor's," they answered. So Jesus said to them, "Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15-22)

Teaching a false gospel

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter! (Matthew 23:13)

There is only one hope

Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites! (James 4:8)

But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. (1 John 1:9)

Job 20:5 Expanded Part B

Part B

The wicked are defined as those who rebel against God. It is those who are evil in principle. These get into positions of power and start to force others and society into accepting their evil ways.

It was so bad in Israel that it was said, "" LORD, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all. We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies. Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime." The LORD has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice."
(Isaiah 59:12-15)

What an indictment, accusation against those in Israel, but what about today? Truth has been redefined. It is no longer judging something against a standard; it is now what society says it is (or more likely the courts or legislature). The wicked seem to win and may, but we, who know the one and only true God, know that this is temporary. The triumphing of the wicked is short, as in short lived.

The verse goes on to say, "the joy of a hypocrite but for a moment".
The time comes when they are found out.

Let us pray for one another, first, to take courage that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and secondly, to not be a hypocrite. A hypocrite might not only deceive others but also himself.

"Reeds can't grow where there is no water; they are never found outside a swamp. If the water dries up, they are the first to wither, while still too small to be cut and used. Godless people are like those reeds; their hope is gone, once God is forgotten. They trust a thread---a spider's web. If they lean on a web, will it hold them up? If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?" Evil people sprout like weeds in the sun, like weeds that spread all through the garden. Their roots wrap around the stones and hold fast to every rock. But then pull them up--- no one will ever know they were there. Yes, that's all the joy evil people have; others now come and take their places. (Job 8:11-19)

Are you evil or a hypocrite? You can find out here "Are you a good person?"

Job 20:5 Expanded Part A

That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? (Job 20:5)

Is the world becoming more evil?

How does one define evil?

1. Behavior that is not acceptable.

If this was the only definition, each would have their own subjective decisions about objectionable behavior.

2. Something that causes harm to another.

If this was the only definition, each would offer the excuse, "Well, it didn't hurt anyone".

3. Something decided to be morally wrong in principle or practice.

If this was the only definition, a standard is needed.

That standard exists. It is the Ten Commandments.

Briefly, this is the 10.

1. No God but Yahweh

2. No images of God

3. Using God's name in any unholy sense is wrong

4. The Sabbath is holy

5. Honor parents

6. Murder is wrong

7. Adultery is wrong

8. Stealing is wrong

9. Lying is wrong

10. Coveting is wrong

Breaking these laws is evil. No man made standard can compete.
(Here is an interesting entry regarding the Ten Commandments in the history of the USA.
I don't necessarily endorse this site, but the document itself is interesting.)

Evil then needs to be known by a standard of right and wrong. The bottom line is me. How do I measure against this standard? Check it out if you are a good person or not.

Choices

Choices

We are have choices to make--everyday of our life. We need to make right choices. The pictures here are of a young woman 1.5 years apart. She used meth, and it ruined her. Some choices are not so obvious, but they are bad choices. Consider these:

Bad Choices

Ananias and Sapphira

They choose to lie.

But there was a man named Ananias, who with his wife Sapphira sold some property that belonged to them. But with his wife's agreement he kept part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles. Peter said to him, "Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property? Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it, the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You have not lied to people---you have lied to God!" (Acts 5:1-4)

Judas

He choose money instead of the Lord Jesus.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. They were pleased to hear what he had to say, and promised to give him money. So Judas started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them. (Mark 14:10-11)

Felix

He choose to wait instead of believing the Gospel.

And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you." (Acts 24:24-25)

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Good Choices

Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus

She humbled herself.

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
(Luke 1:38)

Man with sick child

He believed the Lord Jesus

When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son, who was about to die. Jesus said to him, "None of you will ever believe unless you see miracles and wonders." "Sir," replied the official, "come with me before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live!" The man believed Jesus' words and went. On his way home his servants met him with the news, "Your boy is going to live!" He asked them what time it was when his son got better, and they answered, "It was one o'clock yesterday afternoon when the fever left him." Then the father remembered that it was at that very hour when Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." So he and all his family believed. This was the second miracle that Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. (John 4:47-54)

Remember

The Bible, God has given us, has the standard of right and wrong; let us follow it.

I have chosen to be obedient; I have paid attention to your judgments. I have followed your instructions, LORD; don't let me be put to shame. I will eagerly obey your commands, because you will give me more understanding. Teach me, LORD, the meaning of your laws, and I will obey them at all times. Explain your law to me, and I will obey it; I will keep it with all my heart. Keep me obedient to your commandments, because in them I find happiness. Give me the desire to obey your laws rather than to get rich. (Psalms 119:30-36)

To Dale

I dedicate this video to Dale, the most famous atheist at Ray Comfort's Blog, the Soapbox.

How Do You Know You're Saved?

ex-atheist, a commenter on Ray Comfort's blog, posted this. It is really good.

"Jason said...
So how can you say with any certainty that you are saved? And I mean both you, Ray Comfort, as well as you in general.

1. By the promises of God. (Assurance)

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1John 5:13

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27-30

For I am confident of this very thing, that God, who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

2. Because of the change in your life. (Evidence)

New Attitude:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

New Desires:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6

New Priorities:
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14.

If someone claims to be a Christian but the evidence isn't there like faithfulness or pressing on - it's because they (or you) never knew the Lord. Their "Christianity" might have been religious, ritual, an experiment, but not salvation."

May 29, 2008 8:02 PM

You can find the comment by going to Ray Comfort's Blog, "The SoapBox--Comfort Food" (http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/)

It is on the 29May08 posting in the comments section.

Which Christianity?

Which Christianity do you follow? Who is YOUR Jesus? What does HE do in your life? Whom do you worship? If it is the second video, you are correct; if it is the first you lose. The first video is a veneer, a religious substitute for the TRUE God, the TRUE Jesus, the TRUE Christianity. Don't make a mistake.

Problems of Mankind

How many problems does the human family have? 10? 100? 1000's? There are two. Here is a good message from Paul Washer. Do you have a new nature?

Power

The lust for power.

A common flaw in humans. There's something in humans that want power. I heard a sermon the other day that started like this: "The only thing I could think of to speak on was power". His whole message was about getting power. All I could think of was Simon in Acts.

A man named Simon lived there, who for some time had astounded the Samaritans with his magic. He claimed that he was someone great, and everyone in the city, from all classes of society, paid close attention to him. "He is that power of God known as 'The Great Power,' " they said. They paid this attention to him because for such a long time he had astonished them with his magic. But when they believed Philip's message about the good news of the Kingdom of God and about Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself also believed; and after being baptized, he stayed close to Philip and was astounded when he saw the great wonders and miracles that were being performed. The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had received the word of God, so they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Simon saw that the Spirit had been given to the believers when the apostles placed their hands on them. So he offered money to Peter and John, and said, "Give this power to me too, so that anyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter answered him, "May you and your money go to hell, for thinking that you can buy God's gift with money! You have no part or share in our work, because your heart is not right in God's sight. Repent, then, of this evil plan of yours, and pray to the Lord that he will forgive you for thinking such a thing as this. For I see that you are full of bitter envy and are a prisoner of sin." Simon said to Peter and John, "Please pray to the Lord for me, so that none of these things you spoke of will happen to me." (Acts 8:9-24)

It's not power that we need to seek; it is "Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!" (Psalms 105:4)

Let us seek to be humble, stay true to the Bible, and let God be God.

New Daddy

One of my favorite testimonies:

The Cleansing Power of Christ’s Blood

Charles G. Finney told this story. He was holding a revival in Detroit. One night as he started to walk into church a man came up to him and asked, “Are you Mr. Finney?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder if you would do me a favor? When you get through tonight, will you come to my home and talk to me about my soul?”
“Gladly. You wait for me.” Finney walked inside, and some of the men stopped him.
“What did he want, Brother Finney?”
“He wanted me to go home with him.”
“Don’t do it.”
“I’m sorry, but I promised, and I shall go with him.”
When the service was over, Finney and the man walked three blocks, turned into a side alley, and stopped in front of a door. The man unlocked it, and said, “Come on in.”
Mr. Finney walked into the room. The man locked the door, reached in his pocket, pulled out a revolver, and held it in his hand. “I don’t intend to do you any harm,” he said. “I just want to ask you a few questions. Did you mean what you said in your sermon last night?”
“What did I say? I have forgotten.”
“You said, ‘The Blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.’”
Finney said, “Yes, God said so.”
The man said, “Brother Finney, you see this revolver? It is mine; it has killed four people. Two of them were killed by me, two by my bartender in a brawl in my saloon. Is there hope for a man like me?”
Finney said, “The Blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.”
In the back of this partition is a saloon. I own it, everything in it. We sell to anybody who comes along. Many, many times I’ve taken the last penny out of a man’s pocket, letting his wife and children go hungry. Is there hope for a man like me?’
Finney said, “God says, ‘The Blood of Jesus Christ, His son, cleanses us from all sin.”
”Another question, Brother Finney. In back of this other partition is a gambling joint, and it is a crooked as sin and Satan. There isn’t a decent wheel in the whole place. It is all loaded and crooked. A man leaves the saloon with some money in his pocket, and we take his money away in there. Men have gone out of that gambling place to commit suicide when their money, and perhaps entrusted funds, were all gone. Is there any hope for a man like me?”
Finney said, “God says, ‘The Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.’”
“One more question, and I will let you go. When you walk out of this alley, if you turn to the right, you’ll see a brown stone house. It is my home. I own it. My wife is there and my 11 year old child, Margaret. Thirteen years ago, I went to New York on business. I met a beautiful girl; I lied to her. I told her I was a stockbroker, and she married me. I brought her here, and when she found out my business, it broke her heart.
“I have made life a hell on earth for her. I have come home drunk, beaten her, abused her, locked her out, and make her life more miserable than any brute beast. About a month ago, I went home drunk, mean, and miserable. My wife got in the way some how, and I started beating her. My daughter threw herself between us. I slapped the girl across the face, and knocked her against the red, hot stove. Her arm is burnt from shoulder to wrist; it will never look like anything decent. Brother Finney, is there any hope for a man like me?”
Finney got hold of the man’s shoulders, shook him, said, “O son, what a black story you have to tell. But God says, ‘The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.’”
The man said, “Thank you, thank you very much. Pray for me. I am coming to church tomorrow night.”
Finney went about his business.
The next morning about 7 o’clock, the saloon man started across the street out of his office. His face was dusty, sweaty, and tear stained. He was shaking and rocking as though he were drunk. But let us go back and take a look at his saloon. He had taken the swivel chair and smashed it through the mirror, the fireplace, the desk, and the other chairs. He had smashed the partition on each side. Every bottle, barrel, and bar mirror in the saloon was shattered and broken up. The sawdust was swimming ankle deep in a terrible mixture of beer, gin, whiskey, and wine. In the gambling establishment the tables were smashed, the dice and cards in the fireplace were smoldering.
The man staggered across the street, walked up the stairs of his home, and sat down heavily in the chair in his room. His wife called to her little girl, Margaret, “Run upstairs, and tell Daddy, ‘Breakfast is ready.’”
The girl walked slowly up the stairs. Half afraid, she stood in the door and said, “Daddy, Momma said to come down. Breakfast is ready.”
“Margaret, darling, Daddy doesn’t want any breakfast.”
The little girl didn’t walk; she just flew down the stairs. “Momma, Daddy said, ‘Margaret, darling,’ and he didn’t swear.”
“Margaret, you didn’t understand. You go back upstairs and tell Daddy to come down.”
Margaret went upstairs with mother following her. The man looked up as he heard the child’s steps, spread his knee out, and said, “Come here, Margaret.”
Shy, frightened, and trembling the little girl walked up to him. He lifted her, put her on his knee, pressed his face against her breast, and wept.
His wife, standing in the door, didn’t understand what happened. After awhile he noticed her and said, “Wife, come here.”
With arms around wife and daughter, he shook with uncontrollable sobs. After he controlled himself, he looked at their faces and said, “You don’t need to be afraid any more. God has brought you home a new man, a new Daddy, today.”